The bulbs, which cost £179 for a starter pack that includes broadband connection equipment and three bulbs, screw into existing sockets and use just 20 per cent of the energy of conventional bulbs. Users are then able to turn lightbulbs on or off or adjust their brightness from anywhere in the world, including from their own sofa or while on holiday.

Philips claims that the new 50W (600 lumen) LED bulbs will give property owners the chance to deter burglars by remotely turning on lights, and will also allow them to save and adjust settings so that lights come on automatically, giving the impression that somebody is at home.

The bulbs will be available exclusively from Apple Stores, and Philips says users can “tune shades of white light or create any colour”. Settings can be saved so that users can recreate “scenes” instantly, and also be adapted to form a backdrop to photographs.

Light themes, called ‘LightRecipes’ will also help users to adjust lights to complement the body’s biological response to light. Philips claimed these “expert LightRecipes, four pre-programmed lighting settings based on Philips’ research around the biological effects that lighting has on the body, feature scenarios that adjust bulbs to the optimum shade and brightness of white light to help you relax, read, concentrate or energise”.

The company also hopes that software developers will create their own apps for Hue, which uses an open standard called ZigBee Light Link. This means it can be added to existing manufacturers’ gadgets that use the Zigbee standard, which include audio systems and even front door locks. Google has also previously suggested that it will make lightbulbs and other home automation products.

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Philips has previously made a television called AmbiLight, which produced ambient lighting around the screen to complement the picture. The company says it is now also working on technology that will sense when users are close to their homes and turn on lights automatically.